Herb of The Year: Horseradish Armoracia rusticana

By Jo Francks M.H.
Horseradish has been proclaimed the 2011 Herb of the Year by the International Herb Association and is one of the herbs on the School of Natural Healings 100 Herb List.
Dr. Christopher recommended horseradish as a reliable remedy for sinus infections. Additionally, horseradish has been shown in laboratory tests to be antibiotic and active against a variety of bacteria. It has a high sulphur content, which may contribute to its antibiotic properties as well.

In the book Fresh Vegetable and Fruit Juices by N.W. Walker, it says this about horseradish:

We do not use the juice of horseradish, its ethers are quite potent and powerful enough when the horseradish is finely ground or triturated (pulverized). The effect of taking one half a teaspoonful of the triturated (pulverized) horseradish will leave an indelible impression on the memory and a dissolving reaction on the mucus in the sinus cavities.

Walker recommends mixing the horseradish pulp immediately with lemon juice and using a half teaspoon twice a day between meals to dissolve mucus in the sinus cavities and throughout the body. This procedure has been followed for weeks or months if necessary, until the horseradish sauce could be eaten without any sensation resulting from it. It then indicated the practically complete dissolution of the mucus.

Horseradish can also be used as a poultice for rheumatic and arthritic conditions. The historical herbalist Culpepper said, "If Bruised and laid to a part grieved with the sciatica, gout, joint-ache or hard swellings of the spleen and liver, it doth wonderfully help them all."

In Dr. Christopher's book The School of Natural Healing he says:

Horseradish is one of the most prolific stimulant herbs there is, especially to the digestive organs (dried root), kidneys, skin and circulation. It will give pleasant warmth in the stomach, relieves the gall ducts, stimulate alvine (intestinal) action, and increase the flow of urine. Caution: do not use this herb during pregnancy.

To cultivate horseradish all you need is a piece of the root about an inch long and as big around as a pencil. Plant about an inch deep in a place where it can grow year after year.